A moment later, they arrived at a relatively secluded spot. Zhou He said excitedly, "I knew you wouldn't abandon us."
"Forget that. Do you have somewhere to go? My place is being watched. We can't go there."
"I have another courtyard no one knows about. There's medicine for treating wounds there, too. Tomorrow morning, I'll find a way to get him out of the city. He definitely can't stay here anymore. The wanted notices are already out.
"As long as he's in Great Yong, he'll be hunted."
When he finished speaking, Lu Yuan nodded. "Then let's go."
After that, they carefully wound through several streets and arrived at the courtyard Zhou He had mentioned. It wasn't large, just a small yard with two rooms.
Once inside, the two of them took out wound medicine and bandages and began treating Wu Han's injuries.
By then, Wu Han had regained consciousness. He looked up at Lu Yuan. "Thanks, brother."
Lu Yuan nodded without speaking and focused on bandaging him. A moment later, his palm was soaked with blood.
Then he said, "Leave the city tomorrow. I'll bring you some supplies in the afternoon."
Zhou He could sneak Wu Han out of the city, but he couldn't take a warhorse, equipment, or weapons with him.
Without those things, one man's chances of surviving in the vast Northern Frontier were slim.
"Mm." Wu Han didn't refuse.
This time, he owed Lu Yuan too much. Acting polite would have been fake.
From now on, his life belonged to Lu Yuan.
After finishing the bandages, Lu Yuan stood up. "I'll head back now. Tomorrow, wait for me outside the Pine Forest, thirty li beyond the city."
People had been watching the area near his home for the past two days.
They weren't there today, but no one knew when they might return. He couldn't stay away too long, in case they showed up and grew suspicious.
"All right, head back. Once he's out of the city, I'll be counting on you. You know how close Wu Han and I are. For the next few days, the Sun Family will definitely be keeping a close eye on me." Zhou He wiped his hands.
"Don't worry." Lu Yuan replied, then stepped outside. With a single leap, he landed on the roof and headed home.
When he returned to the courtyard and saw that the spies weren't there, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he went inside, washed up, and went straight to bed.
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Lu Yuan had just finished breakfast.
Wei Yong and the others arrived one after another.
The dozen or so men were all full of energy. After following Lu Yuan these past few days, they had earned themselves some prestige.
They weren't Squad Leaders, but even ordinary Squad Leaders on the street showed them a measure of respect.
When they saw Lu Yuan, they were respectful and courteous. "Greetings, sir."
Lu Yuan waved them off and looked at the men before him. "I called you here today to teach you a Formation I recently acquired. There are too few of us, though, so when you get back, pick some men from your units who are willing to leave the city. No more than a hundred in total.
"Then teach them the Formation. We'll head out of the city after some time."
After that, he handed them the sketches he had drawn. Each man received a copy.
Wei Yong and the others had seen how skilled Lu Yuan was at commanding troops in formation, so they grinned and replied, "Yes, sir."
Zhang Gun stepped forward. "Sir, how about drinks at noon?"
"I have something to do this afternoon. Let's go in a few days."
"Sure thing. Whatever you say, sir." Zhang Gun grinned.
"All right. Get back and practice this battle formation as soon as possible. Make sure there are no mistakes. I'll inspect you in half a month." Lu Yuan's expression turned serious.
"Understood!"
The dozen or so men clasped their fists in salute, then left one after another.
When Lu Yuan was alone in the courtyard, he began preparing supplies: enough dry rations for one man to last more than ten days, a saber, and a set of armor with no markings identifying any faction.
It was even reinforced with iron plates.
He also packed several canteens filled with boiling water and a few flasks of wine.
By the time he finished, it was already noon.
Lu Yuan led out a warhorse and loaded the supplies onto its back, covering them with a tarp. After grabbing a quick bite, he mounted another horse, led the first behind him, and rode out.
He wore a full suit of armor and carried a long, tiger-headed saber.
Whenever City Guards ran past on the road, they carefully got out of Lu Yuan's way. Forget searching him; they didn't even dare approach.
They let him ride straight toward the city gate.
Inside the Sun Family's residence, Sun Gan lay on his bed, his silver-white hair hanging loose as he broke into violent coughing fits from time to time.
Both of his sons had died in a single night. It was a heavy blow.
"Have you found him? Who killed my second son?"
As he spoke, he struggled to lift his head, his chest heaving violently.
Like a broken bellows.
"We haven't found him, and we don't know who killed my second brother," Sun Yun replied helplessly.
"Keep searching!" Sun Gan gritted out.
Then he fell back beside his pillow.
"Mm." Sun Yun answered and left the room.
As soon as he had gone, a piercing wail came from inside.
Sun Yun shook his head helplessly and quickened his pace.
By then, Lu Yuan had already led his horse out of the city.
He headed straight for the Pine Forest thirty li away.
Along the way, he encountered several groups of Great Yong scouts. They were all in a sorry state, hurrying toward Ice Plain City, and some groups were missing quite a few men.
"Brother, has something happened?"
At last, when he came across a fifth, badly depleted group, Lu Yuan couldn't help asking.
The man leading them was a Squad Leader. He had seen Lu Yuan before and immediately replied, "The Manyan Tribe has gone berserk. They sent out an elite scout unit that's been attacking our men for days. Last night, several groups that had left the city joined forces and tried to fight back.
"They were scattered in a single morning. Half the men under my command were killed."
He moistened his cracked lips and asked, "Lord Lu, do you have any wine?"
Lu Yuan didn't hesitate. He tossed a wineskin to him.
"Thanks."
"Isn't Sai City doing anything?" Lu Yuan asked.
"I heard the nearby fortresses are all preparing to form elite scout units to deal with them. Yun Mo of Huqiu Fortress, and Yellow Sand Fortress too—they say a new Centurion has just been transferred there. I expect Ice Plain Fortress will form a unit as well.
"When that happens, I bet you'll be the one in charge." The Squad Leader opposite him chuckled.
Lu Yuan tossed him a canteen of water, then rode onward.
That afternoon, he finally found Wu Han in a secluded spot outside the Pine Forest.
He looked a mess, wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket. He must have used an unusual method to leave the city, because he gave off a foul odor.
A few withered yellow weeds clung to him as well.
When Lu Yuan saw him, he jumped down from his horse. "How are your injuries?"
"Nothing serious. I'm tough as leather and bone. They're not stopping me from moving today." Wu Han rubbed his smooth, bald head.
He had taken a slash to the head the day before.
To make bandaging easier,
they had shaved off his hair.
"Good. This horse has armor, weapons, wound medicine, and enough dry rations to last you more than ten days. Take this bag of silver, too."
As he spoke, Lu Yuan pressed a money pouch into Wu Han's hand.
"There's a map here as well. It marks the nearby villages and several bandit camps. I pass through here every time I leave the city. If you need anything, leave a sign, and I'll see it. Then we can arrange a time to meet."
"Mm." Wu Han listened to Lu Yuan's instructions. Once everything had been taken care of, Lu Yuan headed straight back to the city.
He believed that with Wu Han's abilities, surviving outside the city shouldn't be difficult.
Meanwhile, in Yellow Sand City, Zhang Zhe had just arrived when he received his assigned mission: to form an elite unit and leave the city to wipe out the Manyan Tribe scouts.
Back at his residence, he complained, "What exactly is the Helian Clan thinking? I've only just arrived, and they've already assigned me a mission."
Bai Hong sat in the sitting room, sipping tea. "This is a good thing. It means the Yun Province General really did put in a word for you. You've barely arrived and already been given this mission—that's a clear sign you're being valued.
"As far as I know, there are three fortresses nearby: Ice Plain, Huqiu, and Yellow Sand. Ever since Ice Plain Fortress wiped out an Iron Sparrowhawks unit from the Northern Barbarians, the three fortresses have been competing behind the scenes.
"This time, they'll all be eager to wipe out the Manyan Tribe's elite scouts first. The fact that you've been given this mission shows they think highly of you. If you pull it off, you'll have firmly established yourself in the Northern Frontier, and your path ahead will be smooth sailing.
"Don't rush. Right now, you're building up your capital.
"You're still young. The more capital you accumulate, the more forcefully you'll be able to break out when the time comes."
After hearing Bai Hong's words, Zhang Zhe finally calmed down.
His eyes brightened.